Roberts Creek residents are about to receive the gift of time – but they’re going to have to work for it. The annual tradition of the painting of the Roberts Creek community mandala is underway. Time is the theme this year, according to Robert Marion, the project’s designer and coordinator who works with co-founder Erica Snowlake.
“There are gears, cogs, it’s pretty decorative,” said Marion, before joking, “it wouldn’t function,” as an actual clock. Marion said in the past he has included animals such as whales and eagles but this year he wanted to do something more geometric. “Time is a pretty grand kind of theme,” he said, “the days go by, it’s a deeper meaning.”
Marion was up until 3 a.m. on July 18 getting the ingredients together for the public portion of the event, which will take place from July 18 until Saturday, July 21 at the Roberts Creek pier. Between eight and ten volunteers prepare the mandala for painting with the help of the public, who are invited on a first-come-first-serve-basis to fill in the artwork’s approximately 600 sections. Once the painting is complete, Marion will take a day to wash and Varathane it. Then, on Thursday, July 26, the public is invited to celebrate the collaborative creation at the Manna Fest, held from noon until 6 p.m. “It’s a nice slick dance floor after it’s been varnished,” Marion said.
The Sunshine Coast Regional District provided $3,500 to fund the project, which has a budget of $5,000. Marion also receives private donations, but he said the combined funds aren’t usually enough to cover costs, which include paint as well as food to feed his crew. But that hasn’t stopped the Creeker from keeping the 21-year-old tradition alive, and public support is as enthusiastic as ever.
“Sometimes you have to turn people away, but there’s always next year,” Marion said.
Those interested in participating can follow the Roberts Creek Community Mandala Facebook page.
